


life is sound and color, love is sound and color

by chillwhiskey (payneclinic)



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, M/M, emphasis on fluff, my kids are dumb but they figure it out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-30
Updated: 2016-10-30
Packaged: 2018-08-27 21:31:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8417590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/payneclinic/pseuds/chillwhiskey
Summary: “Holy shit,” Nursey breathes, fingers wrapping around Dex’s forearm. Dex holds his breath as Nursey brings his other hand up to trace his fingers lightly across Dex’s cheekbone. Dex can’t see his own face, but he sees the way Nursey’s fingers turn a soft, baby blue.Dex can’t help himself – he reaches out to trail his hand from Nursey’s bicep down to his fingers. They’re purple this time, deep violet turning into a soft lilac blooming around Nursey’s knuckles. It looks perfect against Nursey’s skin, and Dex suddenly wishes Nursey’s shirt was off.“No fucking way,” Dex mumbles. “This has to be – this isn’t – we don’t even like each other.”





	

Dex has always been pale. He’s gotten used to the complications that come with it – bruising easily, sunburns, and being teased for his “pasty” skin. What he hasn’t gotten used to – what he doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to – is looking down at his pale, white skin, dotted only with freckles, while everyone around him runs around adorned with bright pinks, brilliant blues, vibrant yellows, and every other color of the rainbow.

His mom isn’t worried. She tells him he just hasn’t met _his person_ yet, pats his head and says _maybe you’ll meet them in college, sweetie_. It doesn’t help that her cheek is a sunny orange from where Dex’s dad had kissed her earlier that afternoon.

Dex pretends like it helps, though. He pretends like it doesn’t make him feel weird or unwanted when, of all of his high school friends, he’s the only one who’s still colorless.

College is better – weird, but better. Samwell’s full of color, of course, but Dex starts noticing a lot of people with blank, plain skin. He starts thinking that maybe his mom was right, maybe he’ll find his _person_ here.

Dex has spent exactly one week fighting with Derek Nurse when it happens.

Nursey is his d-man partner, and his polar opposite. They’ve spent the whole first week of practice yelling and pushing each other and slamming each other into the boards when the coaches aren’t looking. All of that was in full pads, though, with gloves and long sleeves and little skin exposed. Still, though, it was _contact_ , which is why Dex nearly passes out when Nursey goes to shove him when they’re off the ice, with no gloves and no long sleeves, and Dex’s arm turns into a fucking sunset of colors. Nursey’s hand matches – deep reds and oranges and pinks. It’s fucking beautiful.

“Holy shit,” Nursey breathes, fingers wrapping around Dex’s forearm. Dex holds his breath as Nursey brings his other hand up to trace his fingers lightly across Dex’s cheekbone. Dex can’t see his own face, but he sees the way Nursey’s fingers turn a soft, baby blue.

Dex can’t help himself – he reaches out to trail his hand from Nursey’s bicep down to his fingers. They’re purple this time, deep violet turning into a soft lilac blooming around Nursey’s knuckles. It looks perfect against Nursey’s skin, and Dex suddenly wishes Nursey’s shirt was off.

“No _fucking_ way,” Dex mumbles. “This has to be – this isn’t – we don’t even _like_ each other.”

“Well, it looks like we’re gonna have to start,” Nursey says, demonstrating his point by drawing a yellow line up Dex’s forearm with his finger.

“Chill, bro,” Nursey sighs, “Your face is all red. And, like, not from me.”

“Oh it’s from you, all right,” Dex grumbles. Nursey looks upsettingly pleased with himself. Dex has to keep from punching him. He wonders what kind of color that would make on Nursey’s skin. Something must show on his face, because Nursey’s cocky smile is sliding into more of a grimace.

“Oh god, tell me this isn’t a _gay_ thing. Tell me the universe wasn’t cruel enough to set me up with a fucking straight boy.”

“Obviously I’m not straight if you’re my soulmate, dumbass,” Dex shoots back, without thinking. He realizes with a start that that’s what Nursey is - his _soulmate_ \- like saying it aloud finalizes it somehow. Suddenly he’s short of breath, and he needs to sit down. He hits the couch hard, sinking into it and trying desperately to get his bearings.

“Woah, dude, you good?” Nursey’s light touch on his arm brings a splattering of deep green, right over the colors already on his skin. Dex can’t look away from it, trying so hard to keep from flinching back. “Is – is it me? Do you want me to leave?”

“I don’t – I think I might just need a minute,” Dex chokes out.

“Oh, uh, yeah, that’s chill. Whatever. Just text me, or something,” Nursey says, nodding too quickly.

Dex’s chest gets tight as he watches Nursey grab all of his stuff – forgotten study materials – from the floor of the living room and throw them in his backpack, beating a hasty retreat out the door.

Dex stays on the couch, unable to get up or even move. He’s not sure how long he sits there before he hears the front door open. For a split-second, he thinks it’s Nursey, but then he hears the loud chattering of Bitty, Ransom, and Holster.

Bitty’s the first one to see him, and he gasps out a soft, “Oh, sweetheart.”

That gets Ransom and Holster’s attention, and suddenly they’re all over him. He can’t even really discern what they’re saying; he knows they’re asking who it is and how it happened, but he’s not quite hearing their words.

“Wait, wasn’t Nursey here? He was here when I left,” Ransom says, “Did he meet your soulmate?”

“He _is_ my soulmate,” Dex blurts. He pauses, completely in awe of himself for revealing such a big thing to these people who are practically _strangers_. He’s only known these guys a week. Today was only his second time ever being in the Haus, even.

“Shit,” Holster curses, “Wait, how have you two not touched until _today_?”

“Hockey pads, I dunno,” Dex mumbles.

“Dex, is everything alright? Are you and Nursey, like, _okay_?” Bitty asks, leaning forward and placing a hand on Dex’s shoulder.

“We don’t even _like_ each other,” Dex groans, dropping his head down into his hands.

Holster looks confused, and his eyebrows are drawn together when he asks, “Nursey told you he doesn’t like you?”

“Well, no, but it’s _implied_. We just… we don’t get along.”

“Have you ever actually _tried_ to get along, though? Seems like you’re both always itching for a fight,” Bitty points out.

“I don’t – it’s not – he’s so – god, he’s so fucking frustrating. And he feels the same way about me, I’m sure.”

“Did you ask him how he feels about you, though?” Ransom asks gently.

“No, but – “

“Nope, there’s no ‘but,’” Bitty interrupts, “You need to go talk to him.”

“Bits, he doesn’t – ”

“William Poindexter, so help me God, I will not bake you a single pie until you wise up and go talk to your soulmate,” Bitty declares.

Dex wants to argue – he still doesn’t quite get this dude’s fascination with baking – but the look on Bitty’s face tells him it would be pointless. He decides to suck it up and just go talk to Nursey, getting up from the table with a loud groan.

He spends the whole walk to Nursey’s dorm trying to figure out what he’s going to say. He knows they need to talk, but he really doesn’t want to start another fight. Once he’s outside of Nursey’s door, he pauses. He’s about to knock when he hears Nursey on the other side of the door.

“Mama, he doesn’t even like me… No, he – he, like, freaked out when I touched him… no, Mama, of course I like him. I liked him from the first day, and he _hated_ me, so I just tried to play it cool. But then I touched him and I saw the color and I was so happy but I looked at him and he just – he just looked _scared_.” It sounds like Nursey is sniffling, and Dex can’t take any more of this, so he knocks on the door.

When Nursey answers, it’s clear he’s been crying. His eyes are red and Dex thinks he can just make out the tear tracks on his face.

“Uh, Mama, I’ll call you back,” Nursey says into the phone. “Dex, what – ”

“I like you,” Dex interrupts. “I’ve liked you from the first day, actually, I was just – I didn’t think there was any way you’d like me, and we’re so _different_ , it was just easier to start fights instead of actually talking to you. And then you were just so damn frustrating, and I couldn’t stop thinking about you. Then you touched me and I saw the colors, and I just couldn’t stop thinking about how we’ve spent the week we’ve known each other fighting. I thought you hated me. I’m sorry.”

Nursey doesn’t say anything, just stands there staring at Dex like he’s grown a second head. Dex slowly reaches out towards the fading purple still on Nursey’s skin, giving him plenty of time to pull back. Nursey’s eyes are locked on Dex’s hand, but he stays exactly where he is. Dex tries to keep his touch as light as possible, dragging his fingers from Nursey’s elbow down to his wrist. Red blooms up over the purple, interlaced with deep pinks. When Dex’s fingers get to Nursey’s wrist, he moves to pull back, but Nursey catches Dex’s fingers in his own and squeezes, holding Dex there.

Dex opens his mouth to say something – _sorry_ again, probably – but he doesn’t get the chance because all of the sudden Nursey’s leaning in. Dex has enough presence of mind to meet Nursey halfway, leaning in just enough so that their lips brush once, closemouthed and chaste but still electrifying. Nursey must feel it, too, because he opens his mouth against Dex’s and brings his free hand up to tilt Dex’s jaw and change the angle of their kisses. _This_ kiss is electrifying for a whole new reason, and Dex feels like he’s on fire when Nursey tugs him fully into the room and pushes his back up against the door. It’s more than a little frantic, the way their hands are desperately seeking out skin and the way their lips barely even part for air. Dex feels it in his _bones_ , this need to touch Nursey, to make him feel good.

Nursey pulls back, breaking the kiss, and leans his forehead against Dex’s. His eyes are still closed, and he’s breathing in little staccato gasps.

“ _Dex_ ,” Nursey breathes, so much emotion behind it that it makes Dex’s chest ache, “I like you. I like you a lot, like, a weird amount for someone I’ve only known for a week. But this – I’m not – I’m not particularly good at people. Or, _keeping_ people, that is. I’m – uh – pretty fucked up and it’s not always easy to be around me, I guess? Like, we’re soulmates or whatever and you like me, and that’s fucking amazing, but if I get to be too much, just know that it’s okay to back out. Like, I understand.”

Nursey stares at his shoes as he talks and it breaks Dex’s fucking heart. He feels like he can’t breathe around the hole in his chest, now, and he needs to do something, _say_ something to let Nursey know that he’s not going to leave. He wants to kick the shit out of whoever made Nursey feel like he was unloveable. He brings both hands up to cup Nursey’s jaw, so Nursey has to look him in the eyes when he says this.

“Derek, I’m in this. Like, all in. We’re soulmates. I’m sticking around as long as you’ll let me, and even if you kick me out I’ll still be ready to come back to you if you ask. I don’t care if it’s not _easy_ to be around you, because I’m not looking for easy. I’m looking for real, even if it’s messy and hard and imperfect. I want to get to know you, I want to learn about you and meet your family and play hockey with you and fall in love with you, and I want to watch you fall in love with me back, hopefully. I want to have colors all over me because we’re always together and touching. I want people to _know_ that you’re my soulmate, that you’re mine. I’ve been waiting my whole life to find you, Nursey. You’re it for me, and I’m definitely not backing out.”

Nursey’s crying again, now, and Dex is wiping the tears off his cheekbones with his thumbs, leaving behind streaks of green and yellow. He leans in and places one more firm kiss on Nursey’s lips.

“So, soulmates,” Nursey whispers.

“Soulmates,” Dex agrees.

“Do you maybe want to go get some coffee and talk a little?” Nursey asks, almost shyly.

“Yeah, Derek, I’d love that,” Dex smiles, leaning in one last time to kiss Nursey’s cheek, just to see the purple left there when he pulls back. The colors look so good on Nursey’s skin, but not nearly as good as the smile that absolutely lights up Nursey’s eyes.


End file.
